Stock Market Gains Are Checked By Syria Concerns

NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is ending slightly higher as renewed worries about a U.S.-led attack on Syria dampened an early rally.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 23 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 14,833. It was up 123 points shortly after the market opened. The Dow was also held back by Microsoft and Verizon, which both slumped after announcing deal news that investors didn't like.

Other indexes rose more than the Dow did.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose six points, 0.4 percent, to 1,639. The Nasdaq composite rose 22 points, or 0.6 percent, to 3,612.

Microsoft fell after saying it would buy Nokia's smartphone business.

More stocks rose than fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was average at 3.4 billion shares.